


Luka Couffaine is No Idiot

by Bioactress



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Desperada fixit fic, Episode: s02 Captain Hardrock, Episode: s02 Le Patineur | Frozer Spoilers, Episode: s03 Desperada Spoilers, Episode: s03 Silence | Silencer, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-25 01:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21348241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bioactress/pseuds/Bioactress
Summary: Luka's perspective of his feelings for Marinette. Spoilers up through Desperada. Desperada Fix it Fic.  This episode broke my heart.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 18
Kudos: 159





	Luka Couffaine is No Idiot

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 is Luka POV. Relevant head canons: Luka Knows about Marinette and he avoids social media and the Ladyblog so is unaware of the events of Oblivio. I refuse to watch the season 3 finale before Chat Blanc and Felix come out so this fic may or may not be canon compliant. 
> 
> Chapter 2 is post Desperada and from no specific POV. It was also not initially another chapter so I'm still calling it a one shot.
> 
> Our boys have broken my heart and it's not ok. I promised myself I'd never be a multishipper, but Luka ruined me.

Luka Couffaine was no idiot. He knew from the moment he saw how Marinette Dupain-Cheng looked at his sister’s blond classmate that he had some stiff competition. However, Luka wasn’t a competitive man. He wanted to be chosen, no games, no schemes. He had been smitten with the younger girl since the moment she stumbled into his cabin, being sent by his mother to fetch him for band rehearsal. When her big blue eyes met his teal ones as they adjusted to the gloom of the cabin he was immediately struck by her beauty. Shy smile, black hair that shone blue when the light hit, it tied in adorable pigtails. On any other girl of fifteen would have looked foolish and juvenile, on her, they were perfect. (He would later ask her why she picked that hairstyle, as he watched the wind from the deck playfully ruffle it. She explained with a trademark giggle that they kept her hair out of her face when she sewed or ran, her hair wasn’t long enough for a proper ponytail and buns seemed more formal than she wanted to be) When she spoke, stuttering her name in introduction, he heard her heart song and was a goner. Then he saw her in action, quick thinking, brave, and he realized that he was hopelessly in love. Luka Couffaine was no idiot, so when he saw her later, fighting his mother’s akumatized form in spots and a mask, he knew she was also Ladybug. He wasn’t sure why no one else saw it, but that wasn’t his problem. Her song rang out to him, and he knew. He believed he would have known even regardless, it just made complete sense. He knew superheroes needed their secrets, so he kept this clandestine information to himself. 

From that first time that Marinette and Alya had joined Ivan’s tiny girlfriend Mylene to watch Kitty Section play, the noirette came to rehearsals nearly as often as Mylene, but without the benefit of a boyfriend in the band as an excuse. Luka dared hope that he might be the reason, even if Marinette didn’t realize it. “She’s still young and doesn’t know what she might be feeling” he rationalized to himself in the way only the young can think of those a mere eighteen months their junior. He noticed that she began lingering after rehearsals and he took the opportunity to stay outside sitting in the stern and strumming her song on his guitar. She shyly came up to him on one of these evenings and asked him if she could stay with him for a bit. It was a warm night and she explained that it was too hot in her parents’ bakery and the air wafting off the Seine was so refreshing. Luka didn’t think words were needed and simply played a welcoming chord on his instrument and gave her a soft smile and a nod. They didn’t speak that night, they didn’t need words, she pulled a sketchbook and pencil out of her bag, and he played. Hours passed until the sun began to set and Marinette, flustered, realized it was almost nine in the evening and her parents might be frantic. Almost tripping down the gangplank, she ran backward waving and shouting her thanks and farewell to Luka. When she was out of sight, Luka allowed himself a lovesick sigh and went below. 

Luka Couffaine was no idiot. He knew his mother watched him and Marinette with a sweet knowing smile, and hope in her heart for her eldest child’s happiness. He knew that his sister watched him with her friend and was worried about him. Wanting to both protect him, and wanting for his happiness with her dear friend who also deserved nothing but happiness. He didn’t like that it worried Juleka but didn’t know how to explain his heart to her. She was a musician, but couldn’t speak through music like he did. He knew that Marinette’s best friends were always scheming with her to ask Adrien Agreste out on a date. He knew that said Agreste probably felt similarly to Marinette but due to his cloistered upbringing didn’t know how to interpret his feelings. Yes, these things were all completely evident to Luka but, unfortunately for him, being in Love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng was also a fact, and one he couldn’t and didn’t want to change. He could only hope that he could make her understand. That and maybe the fates favored him enough to bring him his chance. 

No, Luka Couffaine was no idiot, he knew that Marinette had no idea what her feelings were when it came to him. He liked it that way, he had heard from Jukela how she behaved when she realized her crushes. No, this was much better. He could watch her, sit with her and be alone together with her like this. Brushing arms, hands, sharing their art with each other. They fed off each other, his music and her designs more inspired when they worked side by side on the deck of the Liberty. Whenever he couldn’t find just the right note, all he had to do was look at her eyes, sparkling in the twilight, and his inspiration was returned. She was his muse and he wished they could have rehearsal every day. He hated akuma attacks more than ever, he spent them standing on deck, watching, hoping for a sign that the girl who held his heart was safe. He knew she was capable, but he was weak and still afraid. Only when the magical ladybugs were seen swarming could he relax and play music again.

Luka noticed that Juleka and her friends seemed to be meeting aboard the Liberty more often than they used to, choosing to hang out in her cabin rather than Marinette’s room, Alya’s apartment, or the park. Juleka said it was because the Captain didn’t mind the noise of giggling shouting girls, while Marinette’s parents had a business to run, and Alya’s sisters were always around, and the park wasn’t private. Luka dared to hope it was partially so that Marinette could see him. She always stopped to give him a cheerful greeting before she went below, and a farewell when she left, sometimes even bisous, which left him swooning and her with the sweetest pink blush he had ever seen. Even though they were French, and it was the custom, it didn’t seem to matter. 

Luka Coffaine was no idiot, he knew when Juleka came up on deck one evening after her friends had disappeared down the gangplank and into the lovely Parisian evening towards home, that she wanted to give him some sweet sisterly warning. He could hear the apprehension in her heart song and cringed inwardly. “Luka..” she began, before halting, she didn’t know how to say what she needed to. Like her brother, she wasn’t great with words but didn’t have his gift for translating thoughts into music. The young man looked into his sister’s unusual red-gold eyes and took pity on her. “Jules, I know, about Marinette and Adrien. It’s....well, it’s what it is. I promise I’m alright.” Juleka Couffaine was no idiot either, she knew it wouldn’t be, but she just mumbled an “ok” under her breath and went to get ready for bed.

Luka knew something was wrong the moment he saw the gaggle of girls walking hurriedly towards the Liberty. Alya was gesturing wildly, and was she scolding Marinette?! Impossible. He was in the stern, playing absently, more enjoying his solitude than writing anything, and had been thinking about going below for a snack, but quickly realized that he wanted to be anywhere else at that moment. The girls climbed aboard and disappeared in a flurry of voices without sparing him so much as a glance. He didn’t like the look on Marinette’s face, and although he couldn’t name it he knew her heartsong was in turmoil and hoped the meeting with her friends could soothe her. Soothe her the way he wished he could. Seeing her unhappy physically hurt the gentle boy. As the afternoon progressed, the voices below got louder, insistent. Even if he couldn’t make them out, he knew things were not sunshine and rainbows. Marinette deserves sunshine and rainbows, he absently thought to himself, recalling the time she had fixed Juleka’s “photo curse” and helped her girlfriend Rose deal with some Chloe based problems as well. As he was contemplating all the good he knew she had done, the girl herself came sadly up from below deck. The voices hadn’t died down and Luka found himself wondering if they had even noticed Marinette leaving. 

He wasn’t sure if she knew he was there at first, and he strummed softly as he gazed at the view of innocent loveliness, as she contemplated the water. He couldn’t stand seeing her so lost looking, and walked over to her, setting himself on the bench and played her feelings, He loved the way she closed her eyes and swayed softly as he played. Luka Couffaine was no idiot, he knew from the moment he had seen Alya and her fussing that whatever happened had to do with Adrien and Marinette. It was funny, somehow, when it was just the two of them, Luka felt that he had a chance, when he made her smile and giggle when he played a silly little riff representing Adrien and his idiocy. How could the model not see the treasure that was Marinette for what she was. Everything. He hoped she knew how he felt without him having to say it. Especially when she looked up at him and asked if he had plans the next day. He swallowed hard, held his heart in check, and asked her why.

She explained, almost frantically, about how her friend (Luka heard Crush) had asked her advice about a girl he liked and she had ended up agreeing to play the third wheel on their date, When she asked Luka if he skated and if he’d like to go so she wouldn’t be alone, he couldn’t believe it. He did believe that she was honestly trying to give up on a relationship with her classmate and be a good friend to him instead. He believed it because he needed it to be true. Marinette was like that after all, putting others happiness before her own. He strove to be like that too, she was an inspiration and not just to his music. His lovely muse.

When the foursome arrived at the skating rink and got their equipment settled. Luka was determined to make Marinette understand how he felt about her. He didn’t think he was good with words (although, he was wrong about that) but hoped his actions would be enough. He gallantly tied her laces and made sure to get her on the ice before Adrien and his friend (Kagami, he thought her name was) were ready so that perhaps Adrien’s presence wouldn’t upset their connection this time. Luka liked Adrien, truly did, and would be happy to be his friend, and thus was glad that Adrien had no clue that they were rivals. When he was skating with Marinette in his arms, her trust in him evident and their song playing loudly in his soul everything felt perfect. He even got her up in a lift, and when the frustrating skating coach approached them and he admitted that he may have a new song to write, the look in Marinette’s eyes almost made him cry with joy. 

Luka Couffaine was no idiot, but he was an optimist, hoping that maybe that day he could finally call Marinette his girlfriend. Therefore was disappointed, not surprised, when Marinette fell and both he and the model rushed to help her and she was obviously torn between them. He was grateful to Kagami for breaking the tension (not that Adrien noticed it). However, he despaired when Adrien ran after her when she fled to the restroom. When the (not at all unexpected, because of course it would happen on that day) Akumatization was over, the pushy skating coach cleansed and placated by the mayor and Adrien’s endorsement, he joined Marinette and crossed to the Metro station. She was distracted and he tried to ask her if she’d like to go home together, but he followed her eyes. He couldn’t do this, it wasn’t right. She had to be the one to decide. He sent her off to talk to her crush, and she shocked him with a tender kiss on the cheek. As she ran after the silver car, calling out to Adrien, he disappeared into the metro station, desperately needing to be alone. He was strong enough to let her go, but not to watch her attempts at wooing her crush.

As much as Luka liked the richness of sound that the keyboard added to Kitty Section’s sound, and wanted to keep Adrien as a member of the band, he was secretly not as disappointed as he felt he should have been that Adrien was very rarely able to join them. He hated that his friend was practically kept in a cage, his song was always so...broken, only every once in a while were the notes clear and when they were, it was beautiful. He tried not to think of what the melody would sound like harmonized with Marinette’s. He was relieved and guilty when the band decided that they would enjoy jam sessions when Adrien was available, but they couldn’t in all fairness make him a permanent member of the group. Adrien was very understanding, especially since he hated to disappoint anyone and with his schedule, that was essentially impossible. In the end, Luka was very pleased with the way everything worked out. Especially since that meant that Marinette was completely herself when she joined Mylene at rehearsals. She took it upon herself to take care of the band, making sure they kept hydrated during the heat of the Parisian summer, serving drinks and goodies from her family’s bakery like the generous little pixie she was. When they played, she sketched, embroidered, or sewed while swaying to their music in the adorable way she had. She always stayed a little after they finished, to show him what she was working on, or to watch fondly as Mylene and Ivan walked home, hand in hand. 

When Bob Roth and XY announced a contest to discover a new band, Luka was not surprised at Marinette’s determination and certainty that they could pull off a video in the short time allowed. After all, Luka Couffaine was no idiot. She had sketches ready that perfectly fit every aspect they wanted in their costumes by days end and within an impossibly short time they had their video made and submitted. Those two weeks were among the happiest that Luka could remember. The anticipation of the contest, the fittings in Marinette’s sweet pink bedroom, the touches, the filming, and the sheer joy of spending time with his sister, friends, and Marinette, he almost hoped it would never end. He didn’t like what came next though, waiting to hear, the doubt his beautiful Marinette seemed to have suddenly, and he had a feeling that if they didn’t win, she would blame herself. 

When another week passed and they were aimlessly rehearsing on the Liberty as usual, Marinette more despondent about the contest every day, Ivan suddenly beckoned the group to a porthole. They were all a mixture of furious and stunned to see their work being blatantly copied by XY on a livestream on TVi. Luka was not stunned, though, when Marinette instantly flew into action. Devising a couple of plans to get acknowledgement for their hard work. He almost swooned at her ingenuity, but quickly pulled himself together to make sure he had her back. They ended up using plan B, where in Juleka, Rose, and Ivan would act as a diversion while Luka and Marinette went to confront the callous producer. He watched the force that was Marinette demand the credit the band was due, not being concerned with her own hard work. 

The next thing he knew he was on the floor of the TV studio, his face in his hands and Bob Roth, red-faced and sputtering in front of him while the super duo pounded their fists together behind him. Then being told that they, Kitty Section, were about to perform live on TVi. As he was about to run on stage (dressed in their Marinette Original outfits) she called out to him asking shyly if he meant his words to her. He didn’t remember what he had said to her under Hawkmoth’s control, of course, but for a fleeting moment he was grateful for the opportunity that fate had dropped in his lap, to say the words he’d rehearsed in his mind, telling her how he felt in his own language before he left her to walk onto the set. He resisted with all his might the urge to look back and see her reaction. All that mattered, after all, was that she knew.

Luka Couffaine was no idiot, but he was in heaven. Marinette had become indispensable to Kitty Section’s weekly rehearsals, taking it upon herself to provide le gouter for the group, saying that they all (with the exception of Ivan) were all too thin and it was unacceptable. Well, what she had actually said was a note perfect Chloe impression “You’re all so thin it’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous” which Luka found utterly adorable. None of them minded Dupain-Cheng pastries either. It was on one such afternoon, during their break, that Marinette shyly asked Luka if he could show her how to play a chord or two on his guitar. She shivered slightly as he wrapped his arms around her to guide her in holding and strumming, and he lost track of everything except her. Until a car door slammed and the group heard footfalls on the gangplank. Luka watched as Adrien and Kagami stepped into the room, making a joke about how they escaped their chaperones to attend the rehearsal. He carefully schooled his features into neutrality as Marinette, flustered, scrambled from his arms to offer them drinks and fumbled as she always did around the model. He was Adrien’s friend as well of course, he always tried to remember that. Adrien did seem happy and comfortable with Kagami and Luka was happy that the younger boy found some freedom. He pretended not to hear when Kagami made a remark about him being Marinette’s boyfriend. He knew he couldn’t handle his Marinette’s reaction, no matter what it was. His heart sank further when he heard her mumble about being just friends. He was grateful for the commotion on deck that broke the tension in the room. Until he hit the deck and took in the scene before them. He was still in shock at the implications that his mother and the Jagged Stone used to play together (and maybe more) that he didn’t even realize what he had agreed to when Marinette asked for his guitar. Not that he could have denied her anyway. He handed over his instrument with a smile and a kind word to the model, and pushed down any hurt he felt. He knew that Marinette went into a weird sort of fugue state when it came to Adrien, and he ignored the cringing their friends were doing at her behavior. If he hadn’t been head over heels in love with her, he probably would have found her faltering attempts at flirting and Adrien’s subsequent befuddlement to be endearing. When the angry akuma (who couldn’t seem to decide on her real name or her villain name) arrived and had almost instantly turned his mother, his sister, her girlfriend, and almost everyone else into stickers on her guitar case. Luka knew he needed to get Adrien away so Marinette could transform and to keep the two of them safe. Thanks to Ladybug they managed to escape to the sewers and safely hide in an old locker room. After securing himself in a locker, he heard both another locker slam shut, then the sound of the locker room door shutting again and them muttered words. He swore he saw a green flash as well, but couldn’t be certain, goodness only knew what could be down there. A few minutes later, he heard Ladybug and her partner talking outside his hiding place and came out, assuming that they had defeated the villain. Instead, they were apparently looking for Adrien (because of course she was, he thought, before pushing down the sentiment, it wasn’t the time for bitterness, and it wasn’t fair to think that) . He was honestly worried that their friend was not where he should be and they split up to look for the model. 

Five minutes had elapsed and Luka was getting very worried, Adrien should not have been able to go very far and still stay safe in that small amount of time. Why couldn’t Luka find him? The musician stopped running, hands on his knees while he caught his breath. He pulled himself into a brief meditation to refocus his mind and as soon as he was in synch with himself again he heard Marinette’s voice. He followed the sound and found that Ladybug had already found Adrien. When the blond boy saw Luka, his eyes suddenly shown with a realization that Luka couldn’t place. Ladybug followed his gaze and listened to Adrien gently compliment him and suggest that she give him, Luka, a miraculous. Adrien ran off to hide again. Ladybug turned to Luka with her big blue eyes shining with hope, and could it be, sheepishness? A black and red box in her hand. Asking him if he would wield the snake miraculous. He was instantly enamoured with the Kwami that appeared and listened carefully as Ladybug gave him his instructions. Chat Noir joined them a moment later and together with a few second chances, they defeated Desperada.

Luka practically swooned when Ladybug swung off after collecting his miraculous and promising to see him soon, complimenting him on his work as Viperion as well. Ending the day with some heartfelt words between his mother and his idol (who he now knew was a flawed man with a temper, but a soft spot for their favorite designer), followed by a sunset jam session with his full band, since Adrien was there, and being watched by his beautiful crush made the day one he knew he wouldn’t ever forget. 

Chapter 2

Ladybug swung herself to the Agreste mansion. She knew where Adrien's room was and she knocked on one of the windows. The handsome blond was sitting on his too big white sofa, his face in his hands in utter despair. His kwami, thankfully, blocked by his body had been trying to talk him down. Despite his righteous anger at his chosen, he knew how broken his kid was, and this stupid Aspik situation would only make it worse on the boy. 

Plagg noticed the superheroine first. "Kid, Ladybug is here, let her in and let me hide already" Adrien started when he finally came to himself enough to hear her knock and he stood to let her in as Plagg hurried to one of his favorite hiding places.

"Ladybug." He stared at her as she dropped gracefully to the floor of his room. "I'm so sor.."

"Stop Adrien, please?" Ladybug practically begged. "I need to get this out and I won't be able to if you apologize and be your sweet wonderful self ok?"

Adrien nodded, pale-faced and despairing, not even hearing the flattering words that normally would send his heart to cloud nine.

Ladybug swallowed hard and then continued "I owe you an apology, I had no right to put the burden I did on you. I should have realized that the Snake Miraculous wasn't meant for you. I was distracted by" She stopped, finding that she was veering dangerously off course from her prepared speech. "It doesn't matter," she said finally "What matters is that you were so brave and did so well, and it's my fault. Thank you for saving my life all those times, you're truly a hero, Adrien. I'm sure someday I'll need help and pick the right miraculous for you, I know we really could be a good team. Luka is just a better match for the snake, thank you for showing me that. I’m obviously not a perfect hero, huh? On that note though, Adrien, the real reason I'm here. I mean, I totally meant to thank you as well" she said with a nervous laugh that somehow reminded him of someone else. "and I know that you probably know this, but I need you to promise me that you won't reveal Viperion's true identity. I know I can trust you, right Adrien? I don't know if Viperion will ever be needed again, but I need him and you to be safe if he is." She looked at him with such love and trust in her eyes, he melted a bit.

"Of course you can always trust me, Ladybug," He said with a wistful smile. The next words he would speak, he knew would break his heart a bit, but he knew he had to. "I need to ask you a favor though, if that's ok?"

"Anything, Adrien"

"Please swear to me that you will never try to give me a Miraculous again." He stepped towards her and took both her hands in his. "I can't explain why, but I need to have your word on this."

"But...is it because of what happened? Because you couldn't save me? I meant it when I told you it was me who made the mistake, not you."

"No, Ladybug, like I said, I can't explain why. I guess you can think of it as me having too many responsibilities, and masks I wear without being a hero as well"

She looked into his eyes, both of them with a deep sadness in their gaze. "Ok, Adrien, I swear, I'll never ask you again"

‘I guess I don't know him as well as I thought’, she said to herself, ‘I thought he'd love to be a hero, and maybe we could at least be together in hero form. Does he always wear a mask around his friends too?’ Her heart hurt and her mind was reeling. She needed rest, and some time in silence with her knitting to sort through everything she was feeling. She always thought better with busy fingers. 

She gave Adrien a watery smile. "Bug out!" she said, lacking some of her usual enthusiasm, threw her yo-yo out the window and swung off the way she had come.

Adrien sank back to his sofa and gave into his tears.

Marinette, however, had one more stop to make.

Marinette flailed as she paced, her words flying around in swirls, Luka could barely understand her when she was facing him, and not at all when her pacing spun her away from him. He tried to be patient, after all, flustered Marinette was adorable. However, she was obviously suffering and he simply couldn't take that. He reached for her hand at her next frantic pass and she spun towards him. "Ma-ma-Marinette," He said earnestly, calling to mind their first meeting. "You need to breathe, come on"

Luka lead her to the galley and sat her down at the table. She lowered her head, banging it on the surface several times before burying it into her arms. He put the kettle on, remembering how much she liked tea and stole into his cabin as quickly as he could. Tossing his guitar on the bed, he rifled around for a moment before finding what he wanted and returned to his suffering love in the galley. She had gone silent, although her heart song was racing. He made her a cup of ginger tea and set it in front of her. Then he sat across from her, gently worked one of her arms out from around her head and ran his long calloused fingers on the inside of her wrist until she opened her fist. He held her hand lovingly and began to paint her nails with the pink polish he had bought impulsively because it was her color. He had often dreamed of being allowed this intimacy. 

"Now, Marinette," he said in his usual calm tone, fighting to keep his voice from trembling. She raised her head and met his eyes, hers red-rimmed from withheld tears. "Start over, remember, it's just me. Tell me what's messing up your melody, I promise to listen"

‘ I still and always will love you’, he thought but didn't say. He went back to her hand and the petal pink bottle.

"Luka, how can you be like this? How can you listen to me, and take care of me, and be here when I've treated you so badly?" She asked, her questions stammered as she forced back her tears. He raised his head from his work, meeting her gaze for a moment. 

"Marinette," he said, with uncharacteristic firmness, "Do you drop your friends when they make a mistake? When they accidentally or even intentionally hurt you, do you throw them away? The Marinette I know doesn't do that. She fights for her friends and her friendships no matter what. That's the person I want to be, Mari, a person like you. I will always fight for you and for our friendship" If he choked a little on the word friendship, Marinette didn't notice. "Now, tell me what you've been trying to say since you got here. I'll focus on your nails so you don't have to look at me if it makes things too hard for you"

"Luka..I...I'm just so sorry. You are too good to me. I just see Adrien and it's like my brain shuts off. I know he doesn't play guitar, I KNOW you are so skilled and talented and amazing and I know if anyone deserves to play with Jagged it's you and not him and I know you have feelings for me and I might have feelings too but Adrien and oh gosh, I just can't. I don't deserve love, I can't even sort out my own feelings and Adrien doesn't see me as anything but a friend but I can't seem to give him up and oh Luka, you're wonderful and understand me and Kagami says I need to not hesitate and I have to choose, but I can't choose because he only sees me as a friend and is already in love with her and Alya has been working so hard on getting us together and I want to be but you are so...and and" Marinette's rapid flow of words dissolved into the tears she'd been holding back since she arrived. 

Luka set down her hand, having finished his work. She immediately put both of them over her face. They stayed there for an awkward few moments. Marinette's sobs were the only sound in the kitchen. He was frustrated and didn't know how to comfort her when she was like this. He would have meditated, but he didn't know how to get her to try it, maybe another change of scenery would work? He watched her a few more moments before getting up his courage and standing. He scooped the weeping girl into his arms and carried her to his cabin where he placed her on his bed, he sat next to her, snuggled her up to his side, and pulled his guitar into his lap. He played a slow, calming melody and finally, began to speak.

"Marinette, you know I prefer to let my music speak for me, but this isn't the time for it, so I'm just going to use it to keep us both calm ok?"

The blue-eyed beauty simply stared at him and gave a short little nod.

"Marinette, " He took a deep breath, and started over "Marinette, I haven't made a secret of how I feel about you. I mean every word every time I say it. I don't think that will change, I hope it never does, even if it means I end up hurt. I've known how you feel about Adrien since the first time I saw the two of you together. I've made my peace that I may never be able to be with you the way I want to be, but I can't make peace with thinking that my feelings for you could be hurting you. I can't have your song discordant when you're with me. I can be content with your friendship and if that's what you chose, please never feel guilty. I'm not asking you to chose now either. I might admire your friend Kagami from what I've seen of her, but I don't agree that hesitation is a bad thing. If you ever do want to be with me" he cleared his throat nervously "romantically I want it to be because you want me, not because he doesn't want you and you don't want to be alone"

"But Luka"

"No, Marinette, please. I know you just came to apologize, and I accept it. Yes, it stung a bit when you asked me to give my guitar to Adrien, but I would do anything to see that smile on your face, despite what I know about how you feel for him. I can't be mad at you for being true to your heart, and I won't be mad at myself for hoping against reason that someday we can be something more. I am going to make this promise to you though, if you ever decide that I am the one you want, please tell me, because despite my best efforts I'm going to keep over-analyzing how you act around me...not that you'd know anything about that" He said with a wink, causing her to finally finally smile a bit through her tears. "Hey now, I am a bit upset that you didn't notice the rock and roll paint job I did on your nails though" He smiled widely at her and she held up her hands with a faux critical expression, hoping his Jagged Stone impression might make her a little happier. 

"Well, I guess for a rough fingered guitarist, they are pretty rock and roll" She said in a voice that was just the tiniest bit watery.

"Hey! I've earned those 'blisters on me fingers'" he said, throwing in the famous line in accented English. He playfully nudged her with his shoulder and she surprised him with a huge hug. He grinned, her song finally back in tune.

Luka Couffaine was no idiot, but when it came to a certain black-haired super-heroine, he was definitely a fool.

Epilogue:

It was early evening on a Friday in mid-October and Luka was on the deck of the Liberty, strumming to himself and dreamily watching the pale golden leaves fall into the softy lapping Seine. He liked this form of mediation a bit more than the more traditional type he practiced in his cabin. Juleka and her Rose were in her cabin, likely doing things that older brothers most certainly did not want to think about. The Captain was out fetching supplies and having tea with some old friends as a rare treat, leaving the handsome musician in a comfortable state of quasi solitude. That was why he was startled more than he normally might when he heard soft footsteps on the gangplank hours before he expected his mother to return. Instead, he saw a beautiful blue-eyed girl, dressed in a red sweater dress and knee-high boots, making her way towards him.

"Permission to come aboard?" She asked with a tinge of mischief in her voice.

"Granted" he replied with a warm smile. He set aside the guitar carefully and got up to greet her. When they met she shyly held out her hand to him. In it was a fairly long, flat box. 

"For you" she giggled. He hesitated, but took the box and opened it. Inside was a buttery soft leather cuff bracelet, the exact color of the others he wore. When he looked at it closely he noticed it was embossed with a signature. He expected it to read Marinette, indicating it was one of her designs. He had not expected it to say "Rock on Luka! -Jagged Stone’. His mouth dropped open. 

"Mari...how?... I mean...wow... this..."

She simply smiled again. "I asked Jagged to sign a piece of paper for you, then I made a stamp from the signature and embossed it onto the leather for you. The original is under the pad, and something else too" She smiled encouragingly up from beneath her lashes. "Go on, look"

He reached into the box and pulled out the bracelet. He flipped the piece over and grinned seeing her trademark signature was there on the inside, where it would touch his skin. He fastened it with the snap around his wrist. She smiled but jerked her chin at him urging him to lift the foam and velvet cushion in the box. The first thing he noticed was the piece of Marinette's stationery with the aforementioned Rock On signature from their idol, but poking out from beneath that were two VIP tickets to the rocker's next Paris concert complete with backstage passes. Luka stared dumbstruck at her generosity but her next words made him want to fall to his knees and thank every god he'd ever heard of.

"I was hoping we could go together, maybe, I mean if you wanted, as a...date?" She asked, suddenly shy again.

"You mean?"

" Yes. Luka, I've thought a lot about my feelings these past few weeks and I realized something. I don't know Adrien. I mean, I know him, but how can I claim I'm in love with him if I can't even talk to him unless I'm distracted by something else. The last thing he needs is another vapid fan girl. I know that he doesn't have many friends and that he lives his whole life on a leash. I won't be another one for him. I'm letting go of my infatuation. He and Kagami have so much in common and his dad trusts her. I still want to be his friend, his true friend, not a girl who is befriending him only in the hopes of it becoming something more. That isn't fair to him, or me, and most of all not to you. Luka, I can be myself around you, and you can be yourself around me. I've always felt drawn to you, from the first time you startled me in your cabin when your mother sent me down. I was just too blinded by the fantasy that Adrien represented to understand, I mean, I'm only 15, and you're only 17, but I want to try this with you, Luka. Time flies for me when we're together, and I tend to forget everything except you and me. I think that is more like real love than butterflies in the stomach and swooning. Even if I'm kind of a cliche for falling for the hot older brother of one of my closest friends I still want to try, I mean if you still want to."

"Of course I want to be with you Marinette, it's all I've wanted since...wait, did you just call me hot?" Marinette blushed to match her dress and nodded, looking up at him. "Um, yeah, you must know that you're kind of, you know, gorgeous?" His laugh was so full of joy that she forgot her embarrassment and laughed along with him.

"Oh, Marinette, you're the gorgeous one" Luka murmured stepping towards her, cautiously closing the distance between them. He had waited so long, but was it too fast for her? He glanced down at her lips, then back up into her crystal blue eyes. "May I?" he whispered. She answered by gently closing her eyes, raising her chin, and stretching up to her toes. He tenderly pulled her into his chest, holding her steady and finally, sweetly, reverently gave her their first kiss.


End file.
